P-ISSN: 3026-5398
E-ISSN: 3026-5401
2024 Vol. 02, No. 01, 418-444
doi: 10.21111/injas.v2i1.10466
Islamization of Natural Sciences
Zin Eddine Dadach
Chemical Engineering Department, Higher Colleges of Technology,
Saada Street, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Submitted 20 June 2024
In Review 14 July 2024
Accepted 27 August 2024
Published 28 August 2024
Abstract The term "science," rooted in the Latin word scientia, originally signified a
broad pursuit of knowledge within the realm of philosophy. Until the early
19th century, disciplines such as physics and chemistry were still considered
branches of philosophy, with the term "scientist" only being introduced in
1840 by William Whewell. In contrast, Islamic science has been
fundamentally rooted in the Quran and Sunnah for over 14 centuries. Despite
the Islamic world’s long-standing dominance in global culture and
civilisation, by the 19th century, Muslims faced a decline in cultural and
scientific leadership, exacerbated by the fall of the Ottoman Empire and
European colonisation. Modern Western civilisation, shaped by the
Renaissance and Enlightenment, emphasised scientific inquiry and
secularism, leading to significant industrial and intellectual advancements.
As the Muslim world interacted with this Western paradigm, it struggled to
reconcile modern science with Islamic teachings. This struggle is evident in
the Muslim world’s lag in scientific output, education, and research
infrastructure. The ongoing challenge is the Islamization of natural sciences,
aiming to integrate Islamic principles with scientific inquiry, addressing the
contemporary concerns of scientific illiteracy and fostering a revival of
Islamic intellectual tradition in the sciences.
Keywords Islamic Science; Islamization of Science; History of Natural Science;
Philosophy of Natural Science
*Corresponding Author
Zin Eddine Dadach
, zdadach@hct.ac.ae
3026-5401© 2024 The Authors. Published by Universitas Darussalam Gontor. This is an open access article
under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.id).